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Less than one week before the final exam in my Zen Buddhism class winter quarter, I marched up to my professor, handed him a sheet of paper to sign, and told him I was dropping the class.

“It’s ninth week,” he said. “You’re kidding me.”

Of course I wasn’t. The final exam fell on the same day as UCLA’s first-round NCAA Tournament match-up with Texas Tech, and I certainly wasn’t going to miss my chance to cover the game for five lousy units and a B-plus.

I can’t blame Professor Bodiford for not understanding my decision, because he’s certainly not alone. Even a few of my friends have questioned my priorities, but what I always tell them is that I’m certain I’ve found my calling.

For someone like me, who has wanted to go into sports writing since junior high, the education I’ve received over the past four years at the Daily Bruin has been more valuable than anything I could have learned in the classroom.

Since joining the newspaper as a freshman, I’ve worked long hours, learned to thrive under pressure, and helped transform the sports section into the professional-caliber page it is today.

And along the way, I’ve been privileged enough to travel to some places I never imagined going: an IHOP in Phoenix at 1:30 a.m. (never order the steak). The Milford Hotel in the heart of Times Square (always knock before entering your room). A pizzeria in Mountain View (the only place in America where Diet Coke isn’t sticky). And, the coup de grace, John Wooden’s condo in Encino (a pilgrimage all basketball fans should make once).

You can’t get that life experience reading a textbook. And you can’t make those memories sitting in a classroom.

Long after I’ve forgotten all the important battles I learned about in my history classes, I’ll still remember the ones I’ve witnessed on the playing field the past few years.

Like when Monique Henderson sped past three other runners on the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay last June to clinch the UCLA women’s track and field team’s first NCAA championship in two decades.

Or when the Bruins seemed to be on the verge of upsetting second-seeded Notre Dame in the NCAA women’s soccer finals in North Carolina this past December, only to be bested in penalty kicks after three intense hours.

The crux of my point extends beyond those who dwell within the windowless walls of 118 Kerckhoff Hall. College is about more than being in a classroom, so don’t be afraid to go find your niche.

It might be Spring Sing, student government, Greek life or any of the myriad student groups that advertise on Bruin Walk.

Or it might be the Daily Bruin. And take it from me, that’s not such a bad choice.

A few days ago, I was trying to figure out how to pour four years of my Daily Bruin experience into this column when I remembered something a former teacher of mine said.

“Finding the right way to end a good story is always the hardest part,” she told me.

When she said it, I didn’t give it much thought. But with only a week left before I don my cap and gown, I now know exactly what she meant.

Eisenberg was an assistant sports editor at the Daily Bruin for the past three years. He thanks all the people who helped him along the way.